The largest ant colony ever found was over 6000 Km or 3750 miles wide.

Ants are the longest living of all insects, living for up to 30 years.

Ants have two stomachs, one to hold food for themselves, and one for others.

We are adventurers and truth seekers.

In mutual allegiance to higher education, our team melds the powers of tenacious detectives and bold cartographers into an association of artistic, intellectual doers. Unicorns and accountants united strategically in a mission to help clients excel. The kind of people who are madly passionate about not only making an intelligently effective plan, but in deploying it—then following it into the world to nurture and foster continued growth—much like a successful student. That’s what we call a good time.

Inspirational entrepreneur.
Ed leads the agency and touches nearly every aspect of CCA’s work, specifically in strategic brand direction and creative development. From New York City and Boston to Buffalo and Atlanta, the Saint Mary’s College of Maryland grad has tackled the advertising and marketing world for the past 35 years, including more than 16 years at CCA. Once an intercollegiate American sailor, he now stays near the water as often as he can—collecting and restoring antique boats, fly fishing, or relaxing at his cottage on Chautauqua Lake with his wife, three children and dog—Lucky.

Brand architect.
Dan focuses on building strategy for our clients, delivering the blueprint that drives a brand into action. With more than 20 years of educational experience (including 16 at CCA), he instinctively knows how to identify unique stories that are marketable, engaging, and successful. He attended Siena College before completing his master’s at Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey. When he’s not in the office, he’s probably downhill skiing, traveling internationally, or taking beautiful photos of his dog.

Problem solving expert.
Darcy manages all media planning and buying for clients, as well as representing the agency at professional conferences and meetings. On top of her 11 years at CCA, she spent a decade working at both Mullen and Arnold, the two leading advertising agencies in New England. Outside of the office, the SUNY New Paltz grad stays outside, either getting her fingers dirty in her garden or hiking with her husband and three daughters. Her favorite time of day? Five in the morning, when she’s catching up on the latest bestsellers.

Digital guru.
If there’s anyone who knows the ins and outs of the user experience, it’s John. From nurturing leads to monitoring behavioral content, he strategically blends technical savvy with creative solutions. He worked for 6 years as a copy editor at a London magazine before receiving his Ph.D in Forest Ecology from UMass Amherst and entering the agency world, including time spent as senior marketing director for SUNY Empire State College. He loves to dine out and spend time with his family. Oh, and he’s the cool dad that brings his kids to music festivals.

Boisterous and magnetic.
Rob is chief of creative—visually, strategically, conceptually. His ever-evolving expertise from more than 20 years of east coast ad agencies and design firms has led fortune 500 and 100 brands into the limelight while winning over 1000 major advertising awards worldwide, through intellectually compelling and effective trans-media storytelling. When he’s not leading our team toward award-winning campaigns, this creative guru is collecting super hero art, vintage robots, and coaching disabled children. As a closet Iron Chef, his mad culinary skills have allowed him to perfect the art of sausage bread, not to mention CCA’s very own “Best Chili Award” for the annual chili cook-off.

Unstoppable octopus.
If multi-tasking were an Olympic sport, SarahNicole would win the gold. Every time. With boundless energy and an unbelievable dedication, she leads account services with the integrity of a client’s holistic strategic vision. A SUNY Albany grad, she has 20 years of combined experience in marketing, advertising, and strategic planning from Foote, Cone & Belding and Mediaworx to Capital Region Special Surgery. And she truly never stops moving. Whether she’s kickboxing before work, vintage clothes shopping, or spending time with her husband, son, and rescue pup, sometimes we wonder if she ever sleeps.

Zen perfectionist.
Lauren leads the client service team for CCA’s organic client group. With 12 years of higher education marketing experience—including nine at CCA—let’s just say she knows how to get the job done. Fueled by a lot of coffee, she is known for her responsiveness, organization, and brand-focused strategies. When not meeting client’s needs, she can be found on her farm throwing hay with her husband and son. And if a candle’s burning in her office, she’s probably daydreaming of the beach or the peaceful hours of the early morning.

Enrollment maven.
From small colleges to large universities, Mary Beth has experienced it all. After graduating from Marist College, she spent 10 years as their enrollment specialist—and then the next three decades guiding six other institutions through their enrollment marketing communication plans. She brings her expert experience to CCA, with top-notch strategies and solutions to enrollment challenges. Not at her desk? She’s probably relaxing on a beach with a good book.

Calm and collected.
Karen manages all media that comes through CCA’s doors from start to finish. With a background of more than 20 years of marketing and communications experience, she’s transitioned with media as it moved to the digital side. When she’s not developing comprehensive media strategies, the SUNY Oswego grad is busy at home with her kids and husband. But what keeps her so calm? Well, if she’s not competing in a marathon, she can be seen running gracefully on the roads of her glorious home in Kinderhook.

Class clown.
Val joins CCA after a decade of experience of negotiating media buys, strategizing media plans, and trying her hand in the media sales arena. Working with clients including Pfizer, Kraft, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of South Carolina, the Iona grad holds a B.A. in mass communication. When she’s not strategizing media plans, she’s hanging out with her high school sweetheart and rescue dogs—or secretly working on her stand-up routine.

Perpetual optimist.
As one of our digital dudes, Nick works primarily with analytics, reporting, and all the acronyms—SEO, PPC, SEM, CRO. He joined CCA after working in email marketing at Informz. When he’s not clicking and typing in the office, the Houghton College alum is outside playing sports or (pretty much) any instrument he can get his hands on.

Relentless communicator.
Darlene leads clients in building their best brands and helps them tell their story through the support of the CCA team. And believe us, she knows higher ed. The St. Bonaventure University (Go Bonnies!) and UAlbany grad has nearly two decades of higher ed and health care marketing communications experience. Outside the office, she’s spending time with her husband and two boys, training for a half marathon, and getting lost in a book. Oh, and she’s probably drinking a glass of red wine.

Indefatigable punk rocker.
Beth designs, strategizes, and oversees all things visual for print and digital. With eight years of marketing experience at Media Logic, a BFA from Alfred University, and a lifetime of creativity from printmaking to photography, she guides CCA in the best direction for developing a campaign’s perfect look, tone, and feel. On top of her two kids, her camera is her baby (and she has the magic to make even the shy take a stunning photo). Oh, and she’s also a punk, punk, a punk rocker.

Pragmatic unicorn.
Book designer, website developer, visionary artist. There isn’t much that this RPI grad can’t do, really—and no one’s complaining about it. Melissa is the bridge between creative, digital, and strategy, as well as an experience designer devoted to creating compelling, consistent brands. Her desk, which has more greenspace than all of Troy, is where her coworkers’ dead plants are given new life by her plant-saving heroism. Can’t find her? She may be working at home in her print studio, watching her hubby craft beautiful furniture, or drinking coffee.

Deep-fried curiosity.
This Southern beau comes to CCA with 35 years combined experience in (brace yourself): design, art direction, creative direction, copywriting, filmmaking, producing, and photography up and down the east coast. Phew. His creativity doesn’t stop outside of the office, either. Lately, the East Carolina University grad is on a cooking spree. His most recent endeavor: recreating his late grandmother’s biscuit recipe, though he realized his own version was much better.

Low-key naturalist.
Though he may prefer analog over digital, Greg’s intrinsic passion for visual communication and web development help him excel at all-things design focused. The Saint Rose grad’s versatile work has been featured from Air National Guard advertisements to apparel design for Coney Island Brewing Company. Needing to feel calm? Find him. If you can’t, he’s probably somewhere in nature, fly fishing, snowboarding, or riding his motorcycle.

Wit and infinite imagination.
These are the strings that tie Annette’s brand writing into conceptual poetry. Her versatility as a writer stems from attending the Portfolio Center in Atlanta and two decades of creative concept development across all media forms, including 16 years as associate creative director for a national agency. Her verbosity keeps the creative department generally entertained and only slightly distracted. As an audiobook addict, she’s rarely seen without headphones—mostly because they keep her from falling over.

Content machine.
As the lead content strategist, Melissa is one of CCA’s written-word gurus for everything print and digital. A Tufts grad, her combined publishing and marketing experience from various national magazines to Media Logic secured her with the unstoppable skills of a scribbling savant, not to mention an expertise in strategic thinking. She’s on the quest for a hobby and, so far, has taken a liking to hip hop dancing and sushi making. In the meantime, she’s plenty busy with her husband, toddler, and newborn.

Control freakess.
Heidi has lists for her lists—which comes in handy, since she keeps the entire agency up to speed on deadlines and projects. The SUNY Oswego grad has channeled her (minor) OCD and immaculate organizational skills through 13 years of project management at both Media Logic and Overit. And when she’s not perfecting the agency’s workflow? She’s on a beach reading and teaching her daughter how to write important to-dos on a Post-it.

Print master.
Jay knows anything and everything print, managing all of CCA’s print procurement and production for the last eight years. After receiving his Bachelor’s in Communications from SUNY Buffalo, he spent 22 years playing a crucial role in the development of Media Logic. He loves traveling and all-things sports related. And, as a diehard baseball fan, he roots for two teams: The Mets, and whoever’s playing The Yankees.

education leads change

Change is accelerating at a shocking magnitude. In a process engineered to identify immutable institutional truths, CCA can work with you to craft a specific strategic plan that rises to meet the new challenges of this emerging global arena—within sight of your current needs. If you ask us, there’s never been a more exciting time to be alive or involved in education.

CCA is the nation’s leading branding and communications agency devoted exclusively to higher education. We partner with some of the top colleges and universities nationwide to create compelling brands, solution-driven plans, and award-winning communications.

Our agency was founded more than 30 years ago with the specific purpose of supporting the marketing, admissions, and institutional advancement departments of colleges and universities. While many of our team members have experience in the corporate world, we all share a passion for higher education and a deep understanding of your goals.

As higher ed has evolved, CCA has evolved with it. We begin each partnership by listening to you, and we’re not afraid to ask hard questions. We base our recommendations on years of experience in helping colleges and universities to solve problems and achieve success.

Our expert team of higher ed specialists will partner with you to communicate effectively with your audiences—whether that means crafting a persuasive brand story, shaping a student recruitment strategy, conducting solid research to guide your work, or raising funds to support your mission.

We do it well

We are awesome. And we don't say that to brag. Other people think that we're awesome, too. We've lost count of how many awards we've won over our 30+ year history, but we do know that it's a lot.